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10.03.2016

iPhone 7 Hoax Goes Viral

Angry Users Break Phones in Desperate Search for Headphone Jack

Last week, a video of an iPhone 7 owner drilling a hole in their new phone and discovering a hidden headphone jack went viral. The description for the video reads, “This video is for those who don't want to get $159 wireless airpods or have to insert your headphones into an adapter every time you listen to music.” Since then, the video has been viewed over 14 million times, and potentially hundreds of angry users have fallen for the hoax.

Several comments have been posted to the video, such as, “I tried this and ended up with display destruction and it not working… I really committed the biggest mistake of my life by watching this video.” Another read “A friend of mine told me it worked for him, but my iPhone won’t turn on after I drilled the hole for the jack.” The user continued “I checked and it was the 3.5mm drill, so I made no mistake there! What happened? Any of you have the same problem?”

A few months ago, Apple sent shockwaves through the internet when they announced that their next iPhone would not include the familiar 3.5 mm headphone jack. Users who would like to use headphones with Apple’s new flagship must instead invest in Lightning or Bluetooth headphones, or Apple’s new $159 wireless earbuds known as AirPods.

This news was not taken lightly, with some tech reviewers declaring the end of Apple’s reign, several petitions requesting Apple keep the 3.5 mm jack, and many new outlets commenting on the decision. But the iPhone 7 sold fairly well anyway, with online pre-orders and stocking issues skewing sales numbers.

The joke video’s description does not contain any of the typical “this is a hoax, please don’t destroy your phone” warnings or disclaimers. So far, no one’s posted an angry video to YouTube showing the world their destroyed phone, and who would like to be the first?

“The joke video’s description does not contain any warnings or disclaimers.”

At time of writing, Apple has not given any official word on the video yet, although they might have to start warning users not to drill a hole into their $700 device very soon. Apple’s warranty does not cover “intentional damage”to the device, even if someone truly believed Apple they could make a headphone jack with a 3.5 mm drill bit.